Happy Easter Sunday.
To my Christian friends, here is how Muslims celebrate the Christian holiday in my homeland.
“If Jesus Christ descends from heaven to earth, he will only be able to speak in his native language to the people of three Syrian villages northwest of Damascus. The Christian village of Malula and its neighboring Muslim villages, Jabadeen and Bakhaa, represent “the last outposts” of spoken Aramaic, which was the language Jesus spoke in Galilee two millennia ago. As a Syrian Muslim, I, like all Syrians, cherish that fact.
All Syrians are also proud to say that their homeland has the tomb of John the Baptist, a Prophet that is revered by Muslims and Christians, Damascus has the path where St. Paul converted to Christianity and Aleppo has the church of St. Simeon the Stylites the Elder, a Syriac ascetic saint who achieved fame for living 37 years on a small platform on top of a pillar near Aleppo in Syria.
My city, Homs, also known as the windy city for its real winds, is known for its two famous religious sites: the Mosque of Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed, a legendary Muslim hero who chose to live and die in Homs and gave it his name, and the church of Our Lady of the Belt, where myth has it that the belt of Virgin Mary is buried deep under its ground.
In Homs there are Orthodox, Armenian, Maronite, Catholic and Anglican Christians who lived happily together with their Muslim neighbors long before the birth of my adopted homeland. All preserved their rituals, culture and languages throughout the ages.
Church of Our Lady of the Belt, an Orthodox Church, leans on the historic Mosque of Abo Alhol, a Muslim saint. A special fusion Muslim-Christian religious holiday is called “Sweet Thursday” or the “Thursday of Saints,” a unique holiday for the city when all people celebrate the day by cooking special Homsi sweets.
Some Christian mothers name their male child, Mohammad, if God blessed them with a child after long wait while Muslim women and men pray at the historic “blessed” site of Our Lady of the Belt church seeking cure for their illnesses. Many Muslim families send their children to learn at private Christian schools and many Christian students learn and memorize parts of the Quran.
Muslims use Christian terms like “We thank our Lord” and “May the Lord bless you” and Christians speak like Muslims saying “Inshallah, Alhamdulelah, Assalam Alaikum and Bismi Allah.” Some prominent Homsi families have both Muslim and Christian members. Eisa, Jesus, is a common Muslim name and Interfaith dialogue is called neighborly relations.
The sound of Muslim call for prayer intertwines with the sound of church bells. Local TV and radio stations air Christian songs. Muslim and Christian youth perform the local folkloric Aradha, chanting mythical songs about Homs, the city of peace and den of lions.
Dr Zaher Sahloul, 5 April, 2026